Ice skate



G. FRUHBEIS March 25, 1930.

ICE SKATE Filed April 11, 1928 Patented Mar 25, 1930 enone rnnnnnrs, OEBERLIN-FRIEDENAU, GERMANY Ion SKATE Application filed April 11, 1928,-Seria1 No. 269,228, and in Germany December 18, 1925.

In the ordinary skate, with an undivided blade, the foot is held firmly clamped in one position, so that the toe joint is kept inactive and cannot be used in skating. The result of 5 this is a premature fatiguing of the body, as the remaining joints vare correspondingly overstrained. It has been tried to overcome this disadvantage by designing a skate having a jointed, divided blade. Hereby, however, the skate itself contains the joint, which, therefore, lies under the foot and is dependent upon the position of this joint, whereas the actual joint is contained in the foot itself. Consequently, the foot cannot follow the natural movements of the toe joint, but

is compelled to follow the movements of the joint in the skate. The strain connected therewith does not result in any reduction of premature fatigue. a

The object of the present invention is to provide means for giving the foot the same freedom of movement in skating as when walking, so that the toe joint is also brought into activity and swings on its natural axis.

To attain this, the blade of the skate is also made of two parts, the rear section, however, being connected to the front section by means of a fiat spring which is fastened to thesole plate. The connection of the rear section of the blade with the Hat spring is made With the aid of guiding bars which engage withthe front section like a fork, whereby-a cramp-.

ing of the twoparts of the skate blade is prevented. The fiat springwhich constitutes the connection allows a free movement of the foot in the toe joint. Both parts of the blade abut in an overlapped joint andare, preferably, made to engage in a dovetailed manner.

In order to attain a secure guidance of the rear section on the front section of the blade, the guiding bars are bent in a knee-shaped manner, and are connected at the knee, so that they, together with this connection, form a stop and limit the alternating swinging movements of the two parts of they blade.

This limit of movement is, furthermore, attained by means of an overbridged aperture between the guiding bars inthe front section of the blade.

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically and byway of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the skate in a fiat position, Figure 2 also shows a side elevation with the rear section bent upward, Figure 3 is a cross section in the line 3*3, and Figure 4 isa cross section in the line 4-4: of Figure 1.

The skate is composed of a blade divided into two parts a and b, the front part a carrying the sole plate 0, which, as seen from the side, reaches only to the toe joint of the foot; it is, therefore, in comparison with other designs, comparatively shorter. A flat spring (Z is connected with the sole plate 0. Two

guiding bars 7" are fastened to the rear part b of the blade by means of the rivets e. The

guiding rails f are bent knee-shaped toward the front part at f and connected, for instance, by means of a rivet h, or bent out of one piece, or welded. At 9 the guiding bars 7. are connected by riveting with the rear end of the fiat spring 0?, which, therefore, is free to move upwardly and to follow the natural movements of the foot, so that the joint of the skate is transferred to the .foot.

Both parts a and b of theblade engage at k in an overlapped joint, the abutting ends being dovetailed in order to attain. a secure engagement, as clearly shown in the section of Fig. 3. The front part a of the blade is provided with an overbridged aperture i under the freely movable part of the flat spring oi, which bridge 2" acts as a stop for the flat sprlng d on the one hand, that is, when thls spring is in its resting position, and on the the guiding rails 7", so that they cannot come out of engagement withthe front part of the blade. Both parts of the bladecan be'bent until they reach an angle of about 60,

The heel plate Z is preferably made so as desirable strains.

I 'claimz' 1 .1. An ice skate,

comprising, in combina- V other hand it serves the purpose of astop for ice tion, a front blade part having a sole plate,

tion, a front blade part having a sole plate,a

fiat spring fastened to said sole plate and extending underneath the sole of a boot, a rear blade part with bars fastened thereto adapt ed to guide said rear blade part on said front blade part, a firm connection between the front end of said guiding rails and the rear end of said fiat spring adapted to allow free movement of'the toe joint of a foot in the plane of the said front and rear blade, an overlapped joint between both said blade parts in their plane adapted to engage in a dovetail at the abutment of said joint, substantially as set forth.

3. An-ice skate, comprising, in combination, a front blade part having a sole plate, a flat spring fastened to said sole plate and extending underneath the sole. of a boot, a rear blade part with bars fastened thereto adapted to guide said rear blade part of said front blade part, a firm connection between the front end ofsaid guiding rails and the rear end of said flat spring adapted to allow free movement of the toe joint of a foot in the plane of the said front and rear blade, an overlapped joint between both. said blade parts in their plane adapted to engage in a.

dovetail at the abutment of said-joinhsaid guiding :bars beingibent knee-shaped beyond the vpoint of connectionwith said flat spring and connected together at theknee, substantially as set forth a 4. An ice skate, comprising, in combination, a front jblade part having a, sole plate, a flat spring fastened to said sole plate and.

extending underneath the'sole of a boot, a rear blade part with barsjfaste'ned thereto adapted to guide said-rear blade part on said front blade part, a. firm connection between the front end of said guiding bars and the,

rear'end of saidvflat spring adapted-to allow free movement of the toe joint of a foot in the plane "of the said front and rear blade,an overlapped joint between both said blade parts in their plane adapted to engage in a dovetail. at the abutment of said joint, said guiding bars being bent knee-shaped beyond the point of connection with said fiat spring and connected together at the knee, an Iover- 5. An ice skate, comprising, in combina tion, a front blade part having a sole plate, a flat spring fastened to said sole plate and extending underneath the sole of a boot, a rear blade part with bars fastened thereto adapted to guide said rear blade part on said front :blade part, a firm connection between the front end of said guiding bars and the rear end of said fiat spring adapted to allow free movement ofthe toe joint of a foot in the plane of the said front and rear blade, an overlapped joint between both said blade parts in their plane adapted to engage in a dovetail at theabutment of said joint, said guiding bars being bent knee-shaped beyond the point of connection with said flat spring and con nected'together at the knee, an overbridged aperture in said front blade part the bridge of which is adapted to act as a stop for said flat spring and for said guiding bars, said sole plate extending only from the toe point to the toe joint of a foot, substantially as set forth. I

6. An ice skate, comprising, in combination, a front blade part having a sole plate, a flat spring fastened to said sole plate and extending underneath the sol'e'of 'a boot, a rear blade part with bars fastened thereto adapted toguide said rear blade part in said front blade part, a firm connection between the front end of said guiding bars andthe rear end ofsaid fiat spring adapted to allow free movement of thetoe joint of a foot in the Plane of the said front and rear blade,

an overlapped oint between both said blade parts in their plane adapted to engage in a dovetail at the abutment of said joint, said guiding bars being bent knee-shaped beyond the point of connection with said flat spring and connected together at the knee, an overbridged aperture in said front'blade part the bridge of which is adapted to act as a stop for saidflat spring and for said guiding bars, said sole plate extending only from the toe point to thetoe joint ofa foot and a, heel plat-e adapted to slide lengthwise inrguiding members, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof-I 'aiiixmv signature.

' GEORG bridged'aperture in said front blade part thej bridge of which is adapted to act asfa stop for said fiat spring and for said guiding bars,

substantially as1set-'forth.- 

